Ring Necked Parakeet, Plymouth

With ring necked parakeet sightings appearing on the Devon Bird webpages recently I headed off to Ford Park Cemetery on Sunday 13th December to have a look around as up to 4 had been seen there and in nearby gardens.

A look around the Cemetery drew a blank but I did see at least 3 mistle thrush, 10+ redwing and a sparrowhawk soaring overhead. It was interesting to see and hear the coal tits feeding in the trees react to the sparrowhawk, giving a distinctive call note as they watched it fly over before returning to their foraging as it passed.

I decided to head off to the surrounding roads to have a look in the gardens and just as I was about to leave the Cemetery I heard the distinctive calling of a parakeet. Despite searching the trees I couldn't see it even though it continued to call but eventually I located it in the top of a bare tree, surprisingly well camoflagued against the sky despite its bright green plumage.

It eventually flew off but I relocated it nearby feeding on a bird feeder in a garden and I watched it for a while before I headed off home. A new bird for Devon for me and maybe the beginning of a feral population here in Plymouth, presumably they are birds which have dispersed from further east in the UK.